Monday, October 10, 2005

V, I (MN:20)

Rocky Votolato- A Brief History

Mr. Votolato was in a band you’ve probably never heard of (Waxwing) before releasing this record of spare, haunting singer/songwriter-ish stuff. The only reason I know about Mr. Votolato’s previous band is because all of the fanzines dropped the obligatory namecheck/Fagen in their reviews. Personally, I have no stake in Waxwing, can’t even tell you what a single song of theirs sounds like. Nice and easy to be objective (for a change).

This record’s pretty good. There are some kinda poppy numbers that sound like they’d be well-suited to a full band backdrop, some more somber moody ones. Probably more charged with meaning if you’re a Waxwing fan- that’s how these singer/songwriter things usually work- but not too bad on its own. Of course, not compelling enough to avoid a namedrop-driven review, so take that as you will.

Tom Waits- Mule Variations

Two halves to the Tom Waits equation: the sensitive ones, corroded voice wrapping around drawn-out tales of ordinary love gone wrong like an indie Springsteen, and the other ones, junkyard percussion punctuating the hazy ramble of bayou state fairs at closing time.